An honest run through the issues we get asked about most, from white marks and movement to fading, borer and wood filler, with a straight answer and a fix for every one.
If you're reading this, you've probably found something on your timber furniture you weren't expecting. A mark. A bit of movement. A colour that's shifted. And a bit of searching has likely turned up plenty to worry about.
So let's be straight with you.
We've made solid timber furniture in the same Greymouth factory since 1997, more than 25 years, in NZ Radiata Pine and American White Ash. In that time we've seen just about everything a timber top can do. Here's what we've learned: most of the problems people panic about are not manufacturing faults at all. They're either the natural behaviour of a living material, or the result of something that happened in the home. Nearly all of it is preventable, and most of it is fixable.
This is the honest list of what can go wrong, why, and what to do about it. No spin. Where it's our fault, we say so. Where it isn't, we say that too.
Here's what we'll cover: sunlight and colour change, timber movement, white marks and finish damage (including the diffuser problem nobody warns you about), grain and stain variation, borer, wood filler, and cracks and splits. Skip to whatever's bothering you.
Quick diagnosis: is it a fault, or something in your home?
The fastest test is where the mark sits. A care issue is isolated and sits exactly where something was left. A genuine fault tends to follow the grain, a join or a knot.
|
What you see |
Most likely cause |
Fault or care issue? |
|
Isolated droplet or ring marks where a glass, diffuser or dish sat |
Liquid, heat or a chemical reacting with the lacquer |
Care issue |
|
Cloudy white ring under a cup or vase |
Trapped moisture or steam in the finish |
Care issue (often fixable) |
|
Discolouration following the grain, a join or a knot |
Something in the timber or the make of the piece |
Talk to us, could be a fault |
|
Dull, bleached or sticky patch after cleaning |
Alcohol or ammonia based cleaner |
Care issue |
|
Even fading or colour shift over months |
Natural UV colour change |
Not a fault, it's natural |
Keep that in mind as you read. Now the detail.
Will my furniture fade or change colour in the sun?
Yes, to some degree. Direct sunlight will slowly change the colour of both the timber and the finish, and you can slow it right down but not stop it completely.
We all love the sun, but like our skin, timber changes colour with it. Depending on the species and the stain, some timbers darken and some lighten. The finish itself slowly turns darker or yellowish over the years, which is why old furniture can look orange. With a very light stain like whitewash, the underlying grain can shift to an orange or pinkish hue. The other issue is heat: direct sun can cause timber to crack and bend.
How to slow it down
1. Finishes with UV inhibitors. There's no complete answer to fading yet, but a UV inhibitor helps. That's why we use Mirocat PC 3220 Clear Topcoat on all our furniture. It's built on a very clear, low-yellowing resin and contains UV absorbers for maximum protection from UV light.
2. Furniture placement. Keep pieces out of full sun where you can. If you can't, rotate them every so often so they fade evenly.
3. Window coverings. Curtains, blinds and shutters are the best protection. Closing them during the strongest part of the day cuts the UV reaching your furniture.
4. Window films. A good option if you don't like curtains closed. Some films claim to block up to 99% of UV rays.
5. Cover up. A tablecloth or throw over a piece when it's not in use.
One thing worth knowing: because the change is gradual, most people don't notice until they buy a new piece that's supposedly the same colour and it doesn't match. If that happens, we offer a stain-matching service. Send us a drawer or door and we'll match it as closely as solid wood allows. There's more on this in Does Wood Furniture Change Colour?
Why has my furniture changed colour even out of direct sun?
All timber changes colour over time, and this one genuinely isn't a defect. It's the wood maturing.
Generally, lighter timbers become richer and darker woods lighten a little. It's a natural process driven by light and oxygen, and it's part of the character of solid wood. Sit back and enjoy it.
Why is my furniture bending, bowing or cracking?
Timber moves when the humidity around it is out of balance with the moisture in the wood. A small amount of settling is normal, especially with a new piece.
If the air is too humid the timber takes on moisture and expands. Too dry and it dries out, which can cause cracking and splitting. Common reasons it's happening to your piece:
• The timber wasn't dried correctly, or was dried too much
• The finish wasn't suitable for the environment
• Your home is very humid or very dry
• The piece is exposed to extremes: fire, sun, air conditioning, or open doors and windows
Slight movement is not unusual, and new furniture often has a settling-in period as it adjusts to your home. If it's not extreme, give it a month or so before you worry. We dry all our timber to 12 to 15% moisture content to minimise movement once a piece is assembled. When we do get movement complaints, we usually find the piece has been stored somewhere damp, or kept in a closed-up room with big temperature swings between winter and summer.
There's more detail in The Effects of Moisture on Timber Furniture.
What are these white rings and cloudy marks on my table?
They're moisture or heat trapped in the finish, not damage to the timber. Caught early, you can often lift them at home.
A small whitish ring on a bedside or table is usually from the base of a hot or cold cup. Condensed moisture from a cold drink, or steam from a hot one, pushes into the clear finish and turns it white or milky grey. The timber underneath is fine. If you catch it soon enough, you can often draw the moisture back out:
1. Set an iron to its lowest heat, with all steam modes off. The last thing you want is to add more moisture.
2. Lay a dry, non-abrasive cloth over the ring and gently run the warm iron over it, moving with the grain.
3. Lift the cloth every five passes or so to check. The finish should gradually release the trapped moisture.
We always recommend coasters and placemats. A simple rule: if it's too hot for your hand, it's too hot for your furniture.
Why are there white droplet marks near my diffuser, candle or perfume?
This is the one nobody warns you about. Oil diffusers, reed diffusers, perfume, hand sanitiser and alcohol-based sprays are solvents, and left on a timber top they soften and etch the lacquer right where they sit.
Over the last few years these have become the most common cause of finish marks we see, and they catch people out because they seem harmless:
• Oil and reed diffusers. The fine oil mist settles on the surface, or the base weeps a little oil, and over weeks it softens the lacquer directly underneath and around it.
• Perfume and hand sanitiser. Both are alcohol based. A stray spray or a bottle set down on the top can leave a mark.
• Candles and warmers. Heat plus a waxy or oily residue is a bad combination for a finish.
• All-purpose and “wood” sprays. Many contain solvents or silicone that dull or etch the coating over time.
How to tell it's this and not a fault: the marks are isolated and match exactly where the item has been sitting, often a cluster of small droplet shapes. A timber fault would follow the grain instead.
Preventing it is simple. Keep diffusers, perfume, sanitiser and sprays off the bare timber. A saucer, a coaster, or better, a nearby shelf. If a diffuser has already etched the finish, home fixes won't bring it back, because the coating is gone. The fix is the same as any etched mark: sand the top back and resurface it (see below).
Why is the finish on my furniture cracking?
Moisture left sitting on the surface, or repeated spills, eventually soak through the finish into the timber, which swells and cracks the coating.
Most domestic furniture is finished in a single-pack, pre-catalysed lacquer, which has good moisture resistance for normal home use. If your piece is going somewhere moisture is an ongoing problem, ask us about finishing it in a two-pot polyurethane (a hardener mixed with the polyurethane). It gives a far more moisture-resistant surface.
If a spill has already swollen and cracked the timber, the only real fix is to take the top off, sand it back to raw timber and resurface it. That's exactly why we design most of our furniture with easy-to-remove tops, so a top can go to a local repairer or come back to us without moving the whole piece.
How do I get nail polish remover or perfume off my furniture?
You can't undo it, unfortunately. Acetone is essentially a paint stripper, and it melts the finish on contact.
Nail polish remover contains acetone, so a spill will melt the finish and leave a sticky mess. Some perfumes and beauty products contain chemicals that damage the finish too, so keep them away from the timber. As with any finish damage, the fix is to remove the top and have it refinished, locally or back with us.
Why has my tabletop gone sticky?
Almost always a harsh cleaner. Alcohol and ammonia based products erode the coating, and abrasive ones scar and bubble it.
Many household cleaners are the very solvents that damage a lacquer. When you try a new cleaner, test it somewhere out of sight first, or just stick to the safe bet: wipe with a damp cloth and dry with a lint-free cloth. Skip the sprays and polishes.
Why doesn't my solid timber furniture all look the same colour or grain?
Because no two pieces of solid timber are ever identical, and that's the point of it.
Colour and grain depend on where the tree grew, how fast or slow, what stress it was under and the species. Like a person with moles and freckles, solid timber has minor natural marks that add character: knots, shakes, twists, the occasional insect hole or fungi stain. Once the tree is milled, dried and turned into furniture, those characteristics are part of the beauty of the piece, not a defect.
Why does my stained furniture look patchy?
It's the grain. Harder grain lets stain sit on top, softer grain drinks it in and darkens.
The darker the stain, the more even it looks, because it hides the underlying grain colours. A lighter or natural finish shows the full range. Grain running vertically versus horizontally can also read as a slightly different colour when stained. It's normal for solid timber.
Will borer or insects attack my new furniture?
Very unlikely. Borer needs damp, untreated timber, and properly dried furniture sits well below the moisture level it needs.
The main timber pest in NZ is the borer beetle, which thrives on moist untreated timber. Borer generally won't attack timber below 16% moisture content, and all new furniture should be well under that, so a new piece going into a dry home isn't at risk. If you're putting furniture into an older, damp house that already has borer, keep an eye out.
In Ash furniture you may occasionally see a small 1 to 2mm round hole where a borer exited the tree at some stage. That's no cause for alarm, the Emerald Ash Borer only lives in the living tree, and these holes should be filled and polished over so they blend into the grain.
Why does my furniture have wood filler in it?
To fill the small natural imperfections and assembly tack holes so the surface is smooth. It has no effect on strength or longevity.
Every piece of timber has its own imperfections, and small holes or areas sometimes need filling before finishing. Assembly can also leave small tack holes, kept to a minimum and filled. Filler comes in a range of colours matched to the timber, but because it's a different material to wood it won't always match perfectly. It's nothing to worry about.
What about cracks, splits and delamination?
Cracks and splits are usually natural timber movement or moisture from misuse. Delamination, where a glued panel separates, is a make issue we'd want to know about.
If moisture gets into the timber through misuse, the wood swells and can crack. Larger panels are made from smaller boards glued together, and if the glue wasn't spread across the whole surface the panel can separate on a join. That's what we call delamination, and it's a make fault, so contact us. Natural cracking from temperature and humidity swings, on the other hand, is just timber being timber, and there's a limit to what anyone can do about it.
When it's a care issue, not a warranty claim
Here's the honest line most companies dance around: our guarantee covers how we made the piece, not what happens to it in your home.
Our NZ-made furniture carries a 25-year guarantee, the longest in the New Zealand market. It covers manufacturing defects: joinery, structure, a genuine fault in how we built or finished the piece. As set out on the care tag that comes with every piece, it does not cover normal wear and tear, soiling, fading from direct sunlight, or damage from negligent handling and misuse.
So a diffuser mark, a heat ring, an acetone spill or a sticky top from a harsh cleaner isn't a guarantee claim, because the cause met the surface after we delivered it. A delamination or a structural fault is. The grain test earlier is the quick way to tell the two apart. If you're not sure, send us a photo and your order number and we'll tell you straight.
The full terms are on our Guarantee page, and the day-to-day care detail is on our Furniture Care page.
Who solid timber isn't right for
We'll be upfront. If you want a surface you never have to think about, that shrugs off hot pans, wine, chemicals and whatever the kids bring with zero care, solid timber might not be your best match. A laminate or a stone top will take more abuse without complaint.
What timber gives you back is a piece you can sand and resurface again and again, that lasts decades and can be brought back to new when a laminate would be landfill. It rewards a little care. If that trade sounds fair to you, you'll get on well with solid timber. If it doesn't, better to know now.
Quick questions we get a lot
Can I keep a diffuser on my table if it's on a coaster?
Safer on a coaster or saucer, but the safest spot is off the table. The oil mist still settles nearby.
Is a white ring permanent?
A moisture or heat ring can often be lifted with the iron method above. An etched mark where the coating is gone needs a resurface, and that returns the top to new.
Is there a tougher finish for a damp or hard-wearing spot?
Yes. For high-moisture or hard-wearing settings we can finish a top in a two-pot polyurethane for far higher moisture resistance. Ask us before you order.
Do you really refinish tops?
We do. Most of our tops are designed to be removable so they can be sent to a local repairer or back to us and resurfaced, rather than replacing the whole piece.
The bottom line
Most of what looks alarming on a timber piece isn't a fault. It's either the natural life of the wood, or a care issue that met the surface, and nearly all of it is preventable or fixable.
If you're staring at a mark right now and you're not sure what it is, send us a photo and your order number and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a care fix or something we need to look at.
We've made solid timber furniture in Greymouth since 1997, built to be lived on and, when it needs it, brought back to new. That's the whole point of buying solid timber instead of something you throw away.
Talk to us any time, give us a call or email us. And to keep ahead of the common ones, save our one-page timber care guide for the kitchen drawer, or read our Furniture Care page next.
Sources / further reading:
The Wood Whisperer — Removing Water Spots From a Finish; WoodWeb — Repairing a Water-Damaged Lacquer Finish; Mirotone.
